


The Only Thing Theo Kept From Beacon Hills

by TVTime



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Aurora Australis, Camping, Emotional, Engagement, Friendship, Getting out, Good Theo Raeken, Happy Ending, Heartfelt, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Oh The places we'll go, Post-Series, Protective Theo Raeken, Reformed Theo Raeken, Romance, Southern Lights, Stargazing, Theo Has Feelings, Theo's POV, Thiam, Thiam Week, Thiam Week 2018, ThiamHalfBirthday, Travel, finding their way back together, introspective, romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 13:06:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15025238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TVTime/pseuds/TVTime
Summary: Theo tightened his arm around Liam's shoulders and nuzzled his face in his hair. He kissed the space just above Liam’s ear and hummed with contentment.Liam sighed and turned his body sideways, deeper into Theo's embrace as they stared up at the stars and the breathtaking display lain out before them.Liam. Theo hadn't left Beacon Hills all those years ago because he had owed Liam for resurrecting him, for saving him from his personal hell and giving him the opportunity to do something good with his life. It seemed fitting that his new purpose had been protecting Liam – from the Ghost Riders, from the hunters, from himself.But as Theo had left the hospital that fateful night after the Anuk-Ite chapter of their lives had ended, he felt a new sense of freedom and purpose. He didn't feel obligated to Liam anymore; he feltaffectiontoward him, friendship.And that had given him the strength to say goodbye.





	The Only Thing Theo Kept From Beacon Hills

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for the ‘Oh the Places We Go’ day of the ThiamHalfBirthday event.

Two days after the Anuk-Ite was defeated Theo left Beacon Hills for good – his own. 

Beacon Hills had changed him in ways he could barely comprehend. He had arrived beholden to the Dread Doctors but determined to leverage that relationship for power and to become an alpha in his own right, chimera or not. He couldn't have imagined a worse outcome than when Kira and the Skinwalkers sent him to the underworld to relive his sister tearing out his heart again and again.

But eventually anger had given way to acceptance, and acceptance had given way to guilt. 

Guilt. Theo had never felt it until his time in hell. It was horrible, but guilt had in turn borne another new emotion for Theo: Compassion. Theo didn't just regret what he had done to his sister; it _hurt_ on an emotional level because with every rending of his flesh, each cracking of his bones, the physical pain taught him what it was like to be helpless and struggling to survive. He had exploited Tara for his own cruel agenda just as he had exploited dozens of others. The Dread Doctors had directed and manipulated him, but the choices had been his. The blood on Tara's fist was the blood on his own hands.

Mason had said that Theo didn't care, but he was wrong by the time he had said it. The old Theo hadn't cared. The old Theo had reveled in destroying others to get what he wanted. 

But Theo? Theo cared.

After all the homes he had shattered with his violence and murder, there was a certain poetic justice in being homeless after he had come back, after Liam had resurrected him. He had wanted to leave Beacon Hills as soon as the Ghost Rider mayhem was wrapped up. He could have slept as well – much better – in his truck in any town in the country, in the world. There was nothing tying Theo to Beacon Hills, nothing except...

Theo tightened his arm around Liam's shoulders and nuzzled his face in his hair. He kissed the space just above Liam’s ear and hummed with contentment.

Liam sighed and turned his body sideways, deeper into Theo's embrace as they stared up at the stars and the breathtaking display lain out before them. 

Liam. Theo hadn't left Beacon Hills all those years ago because he had owed Liam for resurrecting him, for saving him from his personal hell and giving him the opportunity to do something good with his life. It seemed fitting that his new purpose had been protecting Liam – from the Ghost Riders, from the hunters, from himself.

But as Theo had left the hospital that fateful night after the Anuk-Ite chapter of their lives had ended, he felt a new sense of freedom and purpose. He didn't feel obligated to Liam anymore; he felt _affection_ toward him, friendship. 

And that had given him the strength to say goodbye. He could have spent a lifetime lurking over the fiery, impulsive beta's shoulder and keeping outside threats at bay and Liam's rage in check – or he could have accepted the gift Liam had given him, a second chance, a new hope. The choice had been clear. Liam would have been fine either way. He had a pack, friends, a family that cared about him. Theo wanted those things too, but he could never have had them in Beacon Hills.

So he left, and he never went back. 

He spent six months in Arizona working any job he could find until he had saved up enough money to get his own place. He had made his first uncomplicated friendships. He had learned to stop looking over his shoulder for monsters – human or otherwise.

Theo had learned to date in New Mexico. He had been a crappy boyfriend, but he wasn’t violent or abusive. He had gotten things right in Texas and had been engaged for two months before he and his fiancee realized they wanted different things from life and had broken up – peacefully, amicably. Theo had congratulated him on Facebook a year later when he get engaged to someone else, and he had meant it.

By then it had been three years since Beacon Hills, and Theo had gotten his GED, taken the SATs, and saved up enough money to move to Florida. The next fall he had taken out student loans and enrolled in college. He skipped his first class.

The moment he had parked and gotten out of his car, he had caught Liam’s scent. He tracked him to the student union and found him in a cafe drinking an overly-sugary latte. A week later they went on their first date, and four months later they got their first apartment together.

Liam graduated and Theo pleaded with him not to move back to Beacon Hills. He swore he would follow him anywhere in the world except California. It worked. 

After reaching his decision, Liam had been relived to have a reason not to go back. His parents had moved to Minnesota the previous spring, and Mason and Corey were now living in Baltimore. Theo hadn’t been surprised when Scott had encouraged Liam to move on with his life and do what he needed to do to be happy. Theo and Scott would never be friends, Liam and Scott always would. It was less complicated than it seemed.

“Theo, it’s cold.” Liam turned his head and frowned as Theo eased his glove off.

“I wanna hold your hand.” Theo laced their bare fingers together and pecked Liam’s mouth.

Liam grumbled in mock protest, and they returned to stargazing. 

“I can’t believe I’m here seeing this in person,” Liam said after a few minutes, his voice thick with awe.

Theo rubbed Liam’s knuckles and took a long draught of his scent. “We saw the Aurora Borealis last year. Had to see the Aurora Australis to compare.”

“I never thought this would be my life.” Liam laughed and leaned his head against Theo’s. They were lying on their backs on a camping mattress, bundled up in sleeping bags. “I can’t believe you made me drop everything to spend a week in New Zealand.”

“I had my reasons.” Theo let go of Liam’s hand.

“Yeah, you keep saying that.” Liam chuckled and brushed his elbow against Theo’s ribs. “I’m pretty sure you just wanted an excuse to go camping in a new country.”

“Well, that was certainly part of it,” Theo answered. Years of training allowed him to keep his breathing and heart rate steady as he eased his hand into his pocket and retrieved the cold metal brand. He warmed it between his fingers for a couple minutes as they fell silent and enjoyed the stunning clouds of light dancing over their heads. “But Liam?”

“Hmm?”

Theo slipped the ring on Liam’s finger and relished the little gasp of breath he took. “Will you marry me?”

Liam sat up, his mouth open and his eyes wide. “Yes.” He bounced on the mattress. “Yes, yes, yes!”

Theo wrapped him up in his arms, and they both dissolved into laughter and tears. 

That night they made love under the southern lights, and by the time their vacation ended they were secretly married in New Zealand. They announced their engagement when they got home and had a full ceremony the next spring. Many people from Liam’s hometown were present for the nuptials, and their problems swirled thick and heavy around them, threatening to suck Liam back in and ruin the life he had built with Theo.

Theo didn’t let that happen. Liam was his, now more than ever, and he would keep him forever. Beacon Hills be damned.

**Author's Note:**

> Whew, it’s been quite a week and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed participating in the ThiamHalfBirthday event. My thanks to everyone who’s read my Thiam Week or any of my stories, and my gratitude and admiration to all the other authors who took part in this event and left me with so many great stories to read!
> 
> Feedback on this or any of my other work is always greatly appreciated!


End file.
